Academic Policies & Procedures
Freshman Forgiveness
If you receive a D+, D, or E in a class during your freshman year (before you have earned 45 credit hours) you may retake the course, and the first grade will be dropped from your cumulative point-hour ratio. You may only retake the course once, and you must retake it before you earn 90 hours. If you earn a worse grade the second time around, that grade counts, not the higher grade! You can use the forgiveness rule for up to 15 credit hours. It is best to retake the course(s) as early as possible.
Keep in mind that if you are considering applying to graduate or professional schools, or even to other colleges at Ohio State, their admissions processes will look at all of your grades and may recalculate the original grade(s) into your total.
Repeating a Course
You may repeat any course once, regardless of the grade you received and when you completed it the first time, with the approval of your college office. If you do not qualify for the Forgiveness Rule, both grades will count in your cumulative grade-point average. Credit for the course may only be counted once in the minimum total hours required for graduation.
Keep in mind that if you are considering applying to graduate or professional schools, or even to other colleges at Ohio State, their admissions processes will look at all of your grades.
Auditing a Course
You may choose to audit a course in order to refresh yourself on the material or to learn more about a subject without wanting to earn a letter grade. Fees are assessed for auditing a course, but no credit hours are awarded. You cannot audit a course and then later take the course for a grade. Auditing a course requires the permission of the instructor and the permission of your college office, through your Arts and Sciences academic counselor.
